BBC Test Match Special statistician Malcolm "Ashtray" Ashton told he
was not required for England summer Test series against India and Sri Lanka

It certainly has an air of familiarity to any English cricket fan: a much-loved member of the team finds himself dropped down the batting order in favour of a South African with a big reputation to his name.

This time, though, Kevin Pietersen is entirely blameless, and the fall guy is not a player but the resident statistician on Test Match Special, Malcolm “Ashtray” Ashton.

During five years in the commentary box alongside national institutions Jonathan “Aggers” Agnew and Henry “Blowers” Blofeld, Ashton has been as integral to the BBC’s cricket coverage as the clack of willow on leather.

But earlier this year he was told he was being replaced by South African Andrew Samson, a move which left “Ashtray” as bamboozled as Mike Gatting facing a Shane Warne special.

Instead of spending the summer covering England’s Test series against India and Sri Lanka, Ashton has only been given 10 days work as the BBC statistician for England’s one-day internationals.

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Friends of Ashton believe he was singled out following a row over expenses, after the BBC told him he would have to pay his own air fare, as well as hotel costs on non-match days, if he wanted to work for them when England toured abroad.

Samson, who lives in Johannesburg, is understood to have agreed to pay his own air fares and accommodation costs when he travels to England to cover home Test matches, and is only paid a day rate for his work, without expenses, whether England are playing at home or abroad.

A BBC spokesman pointed out that Samson, who has his own computer database of facts and figures, was named Cricket Statistician of the Year by the Association of Cricket Statisticians earlier this year and is widely respected for his knowledge and ability.

Ashton admitted to The Telegraph that he was “incredibly disappointed” by the move, which had been presented to him as a “fait accompli”.

He said: “I have been assured by Adam Mountford, the producer of TMS, that I am still a valued member of the team and that they are glad I have agreed to do the one-day internationals.

“Obviously I’m disappointed that I’m not doing the Test matches, but that was a decision that was taken out of my hands. It was presented to me as a fait accompli and that’s the way it goes.

“I can’t argue with it – I can still be disappointed but I can’t argue with it.”

Ashton laughed off rumours that he had been demoted because he was not considered sufficiently jovial, but said that a blog on the BBC website by Mr Mountford which suggested he and Samson would be sharing TMS responsibilities was “wrong”.

Ashton, 65, who retired from his full-time job as a chartered legal executive in February, had been looking forward to devoting his summer to England’s Test series free from the distractions of his day job, but was told by the BBC four days after his retirement that he would not be required for the Test matches.

Ashton may have incurred the wrath of his BBC bosses as long ago as 2010, when he was asked to pay his own way to Australia if he wanted to cover the Ashes tour. He had asked the BBC for a total figure for how much it would pay him, so he could work out the cost to himself, but was never given a figure and instead the job was given to Samson.

Ashton, who has also worked as scorer for the England team, disclosed the row during a BBC radio interview in 2010, when he was repeatedly asked why he was not going to Australia and after trying to bat away the question eventually caved in and said it was because the BBC had refused to pay his travel costs.

Ashton’s predecessor Bill “Bearders” Frindall, who died in 2009, had an agreement with the BBC that he would pay his own air fares if he was allowed to carry out after-dinner speaking engagements on tours to cover his costs.

A BBC spokesman said: “We are delighted that Andrew Samson has joined the Test Match Special team as scorer for the Test matches this summer. Malcolm Ashton still remains an important part of the TMS team and will continue in his role of scorer at the one-dayers this summer.”